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MSP WELCOMES REVIEW OF BENEFITS FOR TERMINALLY ILL

MSP for the Angus South Constituency, Graeme Dey, has welcomed the UK Government’s decision to rethink how the welfare system supports terminally ill people.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Amber Rudd, this week announced that she has asked the DWP to evaluate current policy, following pressure on the issue from SNP MPs.

SNP MP Drew Hendry has led the campaign to fast-track benefits for all terminally ill people. As chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Terminal Illness, he published an inquiry report into current DWP rules that mean benefits are only fast-tracked if a terminally ill person is not expected to live more than 6 months.

The report found that the current system is “outdated, arbitrary and not based on clinical reality” and leaves terminally ill people facing “far reaching financial hardship and crippling debt”.

Ms Rudd subsequently confirmed that she has asked the DWP to set up “an honest and in depth evaluation of how the benefits system supports people nearing the end of their life”.

Commenting, Mr Dey said:

“I am pleased that the UK Government is to look at this issue.

“The APPG’s inquiry report is unambiguous in its condemnation of the current setup causing cruel and unnecessary financial hardship to people with terminal illnesses – with the significance of a 6-months prognosis described as “made up”.

“It is essential that any evaluation looks again at this policy – and that it is scrapped.

“Notably, the Scottish Government has already confirmed that this rule will not apply to Personal Independence Payments when it takes over their administration, opting to heed the instruction of medical professionals rather than an arbitrary limit.”